Rotary engine.



P. A. JOHNSON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1908.

Patented Nov 17, 1908 2 sums-suns? 1.

P. A. JOHNSON.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION PILII D APR. 20, 1908.

Patented H0117, 1908.

III

VIII/ 111111113 4 iiiil uozntoz Wit" mes ltypei strnction which will appear more fully here- UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

PETER ALFRED Jonnsoii, OF GOLDOREEK, MONTANA;

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Application filed April 20, 1998. Serial No. 428,247

flo all whom it may concemr Be it known that L'PETER ALFRED JOHN- SON, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Goldcreek, in the county of, Powell and State of Montana, have invented certain new andvf-nseful Improvements in R0- tary Eiigines, of which the following-is a p Y specification.

This invention embodies novel improvements in rotary engines of the explosive and involves certain details of coninafter. 1

An essentialfeature of the invention resides in the provision of a mechanism which may readily be converted into an engine operated by steam or a similar motive fluid.

For a full understanding'of the invention and the merits thereof reference is to be had to the following detail description, and to the drawings,in whichz- Figure 1' is a side elevation of anen'gine embodyin the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertieal longitudinal section; Fig. '3 is a horiwings or blades 3 showm-with" its sides connected-bybolts' or and the main bodyiportion of-the cylinder :is surrounded by :a cool- 1 fzontal sectional View; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the piston; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view bringing out more clearly the. mounting of the parts ofthe abutment; Fig.

numeral 1 designates the engine cylinder in which operates the piston 2. The body of the piston 2 is preferably solid-and is snugly received in the space between the central portions of the sides of the cylinder, radial being carried by the piston 2 and operatmgcin the space 4: provided between the outermost the cylinder 1. The piston 2 is mounted on the shaft 5 and a pulley 6 is preferably cari to be connected with suit- 5 ried-by the shaft ablepower transmitting devices. The cylinder 1 may be of sectional constructiom-as similar fastenings,

ing jacket 7 betweemwhich and the adjacent portions of 'the' cylinder a suitable cooling portions of the body of medium such as water is adapted to flow.

The cooling medium enters the space be tween the jacket 7 and cylinder 1 from an inlet pipe 8 connected with the top of; the jacket, passing from such space through an outlet pipe 9 beneath the cylinder. At one side thereof, the cylinder 1 is formed with a laterally-projecting portion constituting an ignition chamber 10 between which and the body of the cylinder is arranged a rotatable feed valve 11. 1 The valve 11 is operable-50 that theport thereof willdirect the motive fluid from the 1 ignition chamber 10 to either side .of an abutment 12 extending across the space 4: of the cylinder 1 and comprising oppositely slidable sections'or parts 12. When the motive fluid is caused to pass to one side ofthe abutment 12 the force thereof will be directed against the adjacent blade or wing 3 and the piston will rotate in oneydirection. The

rotation of the piston 2 may be reversed by adjusting the feed valve so as to feed the motive fluid into the cylinder 1 at the oppo site side of the abutment 12 in an obvious manner, and by mechanism to behereinafter described. The sides ofthe cylinder 1 are formed with outwardly projecting housings 13, preferably integral therewith, and in -which the sections of the abutment 12 are.

Thesections 12' of the" adapted to slide.

abutment are movable in opposite directions in order that they may be separated sufli 'ciently to permit the blades 3 to pass by the abutment, and said sections 12 are normally held with the adjacent edges thereof in contact by means of springs 14 arranged in the housin s 13 It Wlll be observed-that the sections 12 of the abutment'12 are formed with lateral oppositely ext substantiallythe same plane and movable in guide extensions 18 of the "housings 13 formed ,on-the sides of the cylinder-1. Two

springs l ipreferably-coiiperate with each section of the abutment 12,-each of said. springs. engaging one of the arms 12". The arrangement of the "springs 14 with respect to the abutment sections is advanta eous in absorbing the shock or jar i-ncidental' to. 0011:. tact of the members 3" on the blades-3.

. From-the foregoing it will lie-understood .that th'e abutment12 comprises virtually a movable wall resistin the force of themotive; fluid in one direction so that it is caused nding-arms-.-,12, arranged in to act upon the wings or blades 3 and move the latter in an opposite direction, thereby rotating the piston 2.

Leading outwardly from a side of the cylinder 1 are the exhaust pipes 15 which ex.- tend from ports 16 to the casmg 1? in which the exhaust valve 18 is mounted. The ex-.

- haust valve.:18 is of a' form similar to the valve 11, as shown in Fig. and controls passage 'of the exhaust from the cylinder 1 to the outlet 19. Extending in opposite directions from the stems of the valves 11 and 18 are the arms 20 and 21', respectively. A

reversing lever 22 is connected with the arms 20 and 21 in order to simultaneously operate the feed and exhaust valves of the "engme so that when the feed valve is adervoir 23 arranged above the chamber 10.

A valve 24 is adapted to be intermittently operated by a lever 25 which is in turn actuated by a cam wheel 26 on the shaft 5. The

wheel 26 is provided with suitable cams adapted to engage a lifter-rod 27 mountedon a side of the jacket 7 and connected with said lever at one end of the latter. The lever 25 is pivoted between its ends and the other end thereof engages the stem 28 of'the valve "24. A spring 29 normally holds the valve in a position closing the inlet leading from the reservoir 23 to the ignition chamber 10.

Any suitable means may be used to admit air to the explosion chamber 10 for admireture with the hydrocarbon to provide the explosive mixture. In the drawings a common type of air inlet valve 24 is shown, the

latter being spring seated and adapted to 0 en automatically onthe suction caused by t e piston. It may be'noted that the explosion of the explosive mixture takes place after one of the blades of .the pistonhas passed some distance beyond the abutment,

this blade tending to create a vacuum in the ignition. chamber by such movement and thereby effecting opening of the valve 24* 'to draw atmospheric I air into said ignition chamber forv admixture with the fuel or hydrocarbon.

A feed "pipe 30' controlledby a valve 31 is" ly the fuel to the :reservoir' employed to sup Ignition o the explosive mlxture at pro er intervalsjof time in the chamber-10 is e ected by an ignition-tube 32 attached in any suitable manner to a wall of the ignition chamber so that the explosive mixture re ceived by the latter on coming into contact with the tube will be caused to ex lode in the well known manner, the force the-"ex?- eoasea I against the blades or wings 3 of the piston 2.

The ignition tube 32 is maintained incandescent by means of a heater 33 embodying a suitable burner supplied with a hydrocarbon from a tank or reservoir 34 with which a pump 35 is connected to force the oil to the burner 33 from the tank 34 by air pressure.

Should it" be desired that the engine be converted into one operated by steam or a similar motive fluid, the feeding of fuel from the reservoir 23 into the chamber 10 is discontinued and the tube 32 is not heated. The motive fluid is fed into the chamber 10 by connecting a pipe, or the like, leading from the source of su ply of said fluid, with an internally threa ed coupling extension 36 which projects from a side of the chamber 10 and which, when the engine is operatedby an explosive medium, is closed 'by a p ug 37.

It will be understood that when the engine is used either as an explosive engine, or operated-by a motive fluid by connections with the member 36, the sections 1 of the abutment 12 are operated automatically by the blades or wings 3. Each blade or wing 3 of the piston 2 is provided with oppositely extending project1ons- 3 the outer extremities ,of which are pointed, these projections being adapted to engage the abutment sections 12 at the meeting edges ofthe latter in order to force the sections apart and permit the wings or blades 3 to ass the abutment in the revolutionof the piston. It is preferred that the sections 12' be formed with inclined notches 12 at the meeting edges so as to facilitate the engagement of the points of the projections 3 on the wings 3 with said sections in effecting separation of the latter for the purpose described. Opposite edges of each projection 3 form inclined guides adapted to ride in contact with the adjacent edges of the abutment sections 12 in separating. the latter. Suitable packing for the'various parts will be employed on the practical embodiment of the invention, and any desired means is used in order to discontinue 'theintermittent operation of the valve 24 when the engine is not to be operated by anexplosive medium. For the purpose of preventing the lever 25' from actuating the valve 24 when th' engine is operated by a motive fluid introduced at 36 into chamber 10, the lifter-rod 27 is made extensible. so that the lower section 27 thereof may be adjusted by a set screw to occupy a position wherein it will not be in the path of movement of the cams on the wheel 26. I

, Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

'1. In a rotary engine, the combination of -a ;cy li1 1der, a rotary piston thereln, an igni- -t oiif c,hamber communicating with the cy inder,' fuel feeding'jmechanism and air supply 5 having cams, alifter rod operable bythe cams of the said wheel, means connect'ng the lifter rod and fuel feeding means, sai l fter rod comprising extensibleparts, whereby the rod maybe thrown into and out of cooperation with the cam wheel .to correspondingly continue or discontinue actuation of the fuel feeding mechanism.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a rotary piston therein, an i i- }.5, tion chamber communicating with the-cy inder, fuel feedin I mechanism and air supply means for said lgnition chamber, means forexploding an explosive charge in the said chamber, mechanism for actuating the fuel feedingmeans and comprising a cam wheel,

a lever pivoted to thecylinder and directly cooperating-with the fuel feeding mechanism, and a lifter rod connected with the said j lever and engageableby the cam wheel aforesaid, said lifter'rod comprising extensible sections, and a set screw for holding the sections of the rod in positions in which the latter is engaged or not engaged during the revolution of the cam wheel, whereb to 0011-.

tinue or discontinue the operation 0 the fuel feeding mechanism. Y

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature .in presence of two witnesses.

PETERALFRED JOHNSON.

Witnesses;

F H. GARsnY, I F. J. SLAUGHTNER- 

